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Spend A Night With Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein and his vast array of musical work earned him a place among the most respected of American composers and conductors, and 2018 marks 100 years since his birth.

This August, the Sandgate Town Hall will host some of Bernstein’s best work, presented and performed by some of his biggest fans.

Lucas D. Lynch is an acclaimed Queensland pianist and conductor and will lead the night’s engagement with the work of Bernstein, which includes the scores from Westside Story and On The Town.

The performance will be held ‘in the round’ at the Sandgate Town Hall and will feature a trio of musicians; violin, cello and piano, and two vocalists in an intimate setting.

“It will be an up-close and personal experience for the audience,” Lucas says.

“In terms of creating it, we’ve made an event featuring the best of [Bernstein’s] most popular musicals and also some of his unknown works.”

The show will feature songs such as ‘Maria’, ‘I Feel Pretty’, ‘Somewhere’, and ‘ A Little Bit In Love’, and will also include a visual element.

“We want to have rolling images of the great personality that he was, as a conductor, a teacher and a musician, and as a pioneer of connecting with the human spirit,” Lucas says. “I want people to be immersed in the music physically, but to also see who the man was.”

The vocal accompaniments will be performed by Queensland Conservatorium graduate Elliot Baker, who sang ‘Tony’ in the 2017 Brisbane Production of West Side Story, and Samantha Paterson, an in-demand soprano featured in Bella Diva and Harvest Rain’s Arena Spectacular productions.

Lucas brought last year’s performance of ‘Lush’ to the Sandgate Town Hall with the Cadenza Chamber Players and is especially looking forward to showcasing the works of Leonard Bernstein.

“ His music is of the human condition and yet it’s so personal. He wrote for everyone.” Lucas tells us. ”Doing this performance is just a small gesture to appreciating how extraordinary he really was.”

Don’t miss this beautiful show on Saturday 25 August at 7pm; tickets are $20 and available at www.trybooking.com/WTJB